Want a Local’s Perspective on a New City? Spend a Night at These Hotels

As he leads the expansion of the Andaz hotel brand, Jonathan Frolich offers guests the local connection—and comfort—they crave.

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That pastrami on your plate at the Andaz Fifth Avenue in Manhattan? It’s from the iconic Katz’s Deli. The organic bath soaps in your room at the Andaz in Maui? They’re made from coconut, kukui, and macadamia nut oils. That sneakerhead you designed a new pair of shoes with at the Andaz in Tokyo? He’s Yoshi Itu’, a designer who specializes in wearable and street art.

Details like these made Andaz the first corporate hotel brand (it’s owned by the Hyatt Hotels Corporation) to truly engage with its hotels’ local communities. Vice president of global brands Jonathan Frolich helped launch Andaz in 2007, and today, as the brand prepares to double its hotel portfolio over the next three years, he believes it’s more relevant than ever.

“Back in 2007, there was no Airbnb, and we were already focusing on this hyperlocal experience,” he says. “The beautiful thing is that we offer a window into local culture in many ways, but you also have the consistency of a hotel.”

When it opens this fall, Andaz Scottsdale Resort and Spa will have special access to the historic Cattle Track Arts Compound, where guests will be able to take classes and meet artists. Expect similar immersive experiences at new Andaz hotels in such destinations as Ottawa, Delhi, Mexico’s Riviera Maya, and Bali. “Guests are looking for experiences that will help them think and live differently,” says Frolich. “We want to evoke a sense of curiosity in our guests, and we want them to leave the hotel more inspired.”